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The NBA has been graced by a bevy of illustrious scorers in its rich and illustrious history. In the modern era, we have seen LeBron James become the youngest player to score 30,000 points in the league, with many tipping the player to eventually become the all-time points scorer in the NBA regular season as well.
Scoring is the one of the biggest attributes an NBA player can have. In this list, we will have a look at the top ten players who have managed to score more than anybody else in NBA regular season history; the scoring in the playoffs is grouped separately.
Without further ado, let's get started.
10 NBA players with the most career points
Though the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are usually in the Greatest of All Time conversation, there is normally no discussion about which of the three players has scored more points during their NBA career. Let us see where they rank in this list of the ten most prolific point-scorers in NBA history.
#10 Kevin Durant - 28,003 points
Kevin Durant is a two-time Finals MVP and a two-time Finals champ, who is regarded as one of the greatest scorers ever. Durant, who is averaging 27.3 ppg, the sixth-highest mark in NBA history, has scored 28,003 points and is 10th on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
He's likely to become the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000 points and potentially finish his career among the top five all-time leading scorers of all-time. Durant has played for the OKC Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns.
#9 Carmelo Anthony - 28,289 points
Carmelo Anthony is considered to be one of the greatest offensive players of all time. Popularly known as Melo, he has had a decorated career; shattering records, dropping ridiculous performances, and cementing himself as a Hall Of Famer. Throughout the 19 seasons, Melo was a 10xAll-Star, 6xAll-NBA, 2012-13 Scoring Champ, and was even selected for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
Carmelo is ranked 9th on the all-time scoring list with 28,289 points, sitting right behind Shaquille O’Neal. Throughout his career, Melo has played for six different teams; the Denver Nuggets, the New York Knicks, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Houston Rockets, the Portland TrailBlazers, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
#8 Shaquille O'Neal - 28,596 points
The unique power and impact of Shaquille O'Neal, possibly the most physically dominant player in NBA history, helped him tally an impressive 28,596 points during his illustrious 19-year NBA career. He accumulated that tally while playing for the Orlando Magic, LA Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
O'Neill was selected 15 times in an NBA All-star game. The four-time NBA and two-time scoring champion won three Finals MVP awards and a regular-season MVP award during his legendary career. He was also selected as the MVP of NBA All-star games on three occasions and was included in the All-NBA teams 14 times.
#7 Wilt Chamberlain - 31,419 points
If Shaq's case for being the most physically dominant player in NBA history has a 'possibly' tag attached to it, it is because of Wilt Chamberlain.
The owner of almost every major NBA record during the regular season, Wilt Chamberlain is seventh in total points scored (31,419) by a player in the competition's all-time list. He scored as many as 100 of those points in one game, doing so on 2 March 1962.
His scoring outburst from his rookie season (1959-60) till 1965-66 was unbelievable. In this period, Chamberlain averaged 39.6 points per game on 51% from the field.
In the 1961-62 season, he averaged 50.4 points per game, which is a record for most points averaged during an NBA regular season. In fact, the four highest averages of points per game in an NBA regular season all belong to Chamberlain.
Chamberlain was the NBA's all-time leader in points scored from 1966 till 5 April 1984 till Kareem Abdul-Jabbar surpassed the former's tally. Chamberlain ranks second in terms of points scored per game during his career, with 30.1.
#6 Dirk Nowitzki - 31,560 points
Dirk Nowitzki's offense was extraordinary in the NBA, and his leadership during the Dallas Mavericks' title run in 2011 was impressive as well. The German power forward ranks sixth for most points scored (31,560) in NBA history.
Nowitzki, who is a 14-time NBA All-star, was the MVP of the 2011 NBA Finals. He had his best scoring stretch from his fourth NBA season (2001-02) to his 13th in 2010-11. During this period, Nowitzki averaged 25 points per game on 48% from the field, 39% from three and 89% from the free-throw line.
Dirk Nowitzki's one-legged fadeaway jump shot is among the most unstoppable shots in NBA history.
#5 Michael Jordan - 32,292 points
Yes, 'His Airness' is 'just' fifth on this list, with 32,292 points scored during his glorious NBA career.
Michael Jordan is the NBA's all-time leader in terms of points scored per game, with 30.1, which is just ahead of Wilt Chamberlain's. In this list, only Chamberlain (1045) played less games than Jordan (1075).
Jordan is the all-time leader in terms of scoring titles, with 10, and is tied with Chamberlain with seven consecutive scoring titles. In fact, Jordan's ten scoring titles were won in the ten full years he played from 1986-87 till 1997-98 (he retired at the end of 1993 and played just 17 games in the 1994-95 regular season).
In addition to his six titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, five regular-season MVP awards and Defensive Player of the Year award, Jordan was the NBA's ultimate scorer during his legendary career.
#4 Kobe Bryant - 33,643 points
The Great Kobe Bryant was a relentless scorer who always looked to destroy any NBA defense that was in front of him, succeeding most of the time.
With 33,643 points in his 20-year NBA career, Bryant ranks fourth in the competition's all-time point scorers list.
Once he found his feet in the NBA, Bryant had an unbelievable career, and his scoring was unique in the league. From the 1999-00 season till 2012-13, Bryant averaged 28 points per game on 46% shooting.
In that period of 14 seasons, he averaged less than 25 points per game only once (1999-00); he won the scoring title in 2005-06 with 35.4 per game and in 2006-07 with 31.6.
Kobe Bryant's most prolific scoring spell came in the 2005-06 season when he scored at least 50 points in six games and had a legendary 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on 22 January 2006.
#3 Karl Malone - 36,928 points
Karl Malone is one of the best players without an NBA title on their resume. 'The Mailman' was a scoring machine during his NBA career, something that helped him win two regular-season MVP awards as he led his teams to two NBA Finals appearances.
A 14-time All-star and two-time MVP in All-star games, Karl Malone scored 36,928 points in his 19-year career. He averaged over 20 points in all but two of his 19 seasons, and his career average is an impressive 25 points per game, which is the twelfth best in NBA history.
#2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 38,387 points
A unique scorer and owner of the single most unstoppable move in NBA history, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his skyhook were an unbelievable force in NBA basketball.
The player with the most regular-season MVP awards, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar is the all-time leader in total points scored in the NBA. He assumed this record on 5 April 1984 when he surpassed Wilt Chamberlain's tally of 31,419 points with a skyhook, unsurprisingly.
A six-time NBA champion, Abdul-Jabbar retired with 38,387 points. His record has lasted for 39 years and was broken by LeBron James on the 7th of February 2023, in his 20th NBA season.
#1 LeBron James - 39,704 points
'The King' LeBron James is the only active player on this list. With his tally of 39,012 points set to increase in the upcoming seasons, he has become the NBA's all-time points leader in his 20th NBA season and will continue to extend his points total by the time his illustrious career ends.
Though he is branded by many as a 'pass-first' player, James is one of the best scorers in NBA history who also happens to be one of the best passers ever.
The King has won only one scoring title in his career, but he has not scored less than 25 points per game since his rookie year and has a 27.1 points per game average in his career, which is the fourth best in NBA history.
LeBron James is the youngest player ever to reach every thousand-point milestone in the NBA, from 1,000 to 39,000.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: 5 players unlikely to be back with the Dallas Mavericks for the 2020-21 season.
Guess the Lakers players!
